Marina Center EIR open thread

The Eureka City Council chambers are packed, and channel 10 is broadcasting live.

Cherie Arkley spoke for the owners. She said the Marina Center will provide 1000 jobs but the only thing anyone should be talking about tonight is the clean-up.

Public comment is just starting now at 7:20pm.

UPDATE: The Council voted 3-2 with Councilpersons Larry Glass and Linda Atkins dissenting to approve the certification of the Final Environmental Impact Report next Tuesday, and to approve the Coastal Development Permit on Nov. 3.

Called a business today and asked if they had a certain product and they said no but call Home Depot as they carry it

Which local business directed you to Home Depot?

capdiamont

October 20, 2009 at 8:46 pm

not enough to tell anything at this point, but 5 for, 1 against.

Anon

October 20, 2009 at 8:55 pm

“Called a business today and asked if they had a certain product and they said no but call Home Depot as they carry it. Crescent City here I come.”

He called Security National.

Anonymous

October 20, 2009 at 9:07 pm

Well, if Pierson’s closes, I’ll have one less reason to shop in Eureka. Ace here I come.

Anony.Miss

October 20, 2009 at 9:16 pm

I was at Pierson’s today- love that store. BTW, you spelled Cherie’s name wrong. I like Home Depot too. Not sure there is room for it here but I like the idea of the project in general. Sounds like a lot of people would like to see it happen.

How sad. A parade of the ignorant willing to give up a unique jewel for a failed economic system. By the time this sorry project becomes shovel ready, Our economy will no longer be able to provide timber to a collapsed housing market and Marijuana will be legalized. Business entrepreneurs won’t speculate here because there won’t be any disposable income left. Hello ghost mall, goodbye potential tourist mecca.

Yep, Home Depot here we come. I sure hope they continue to carry lots of that chinese sheet rock. Got to keep those prices down to drive Piersons out of business. That is the real game. Maybe they will carry some of that great dog food we heard so much about on the news.
I went for a couple of hours but the dog and pony show made me a bit sick but didn’t want to throw up during the hot air “balloon” ride. And what about the good old Mayor stopping only one of the attacks on Mr Glass. What a bunch of crap.

the council didn’t vote to approve anything tonight…they voted to CONSIDER it next Tuesday. Litigation timeclock starts when they actually approve it…I think there is 30 days after the council takes action (which AGAIN they did NOT do tonight).

His name was John.
I didn’t catch his name. He is talking about an amnesty parking lot for homeless. Mike Jones is actually engaging the man in conversation. The citizen is laying out the rules and how the transient parking lot would work with law enforcement and how police could give people that are living in their vehicles. They would be given a orange sticker and sent to an available parking lot if it was at night. They would have to check in the next morning if they got in late. All would be required to check in and there would be people there to move them along in the morning.

Who can forget Cherie’s last two appearances at that podium? she was pointing at the city council adamantly saying, “there will be no big boxes on our Balloon track”, then she repeated it for extra emphasis.

She was equally adamant in getting the zoning changed for her Starbucks claiming unequivocally at the podium that, “the drive-through will only be 20% of the business”! Anyone that frequents Old Town knows it’s closer to 80%.

There seemed to be little surprise over the latest revelation that Security National’s economic analysis for the Marina Center is now being used by the former Chairman of the economics department at SF State University as a textbook example of poor research for an EIR.

It’s easy to fool so many local citizens who have no idea how they subsidize this level of greed. In one breath (on one city agenda) another bankruptcy- generating mall is being crammed down our throats along with new water/sewer rates of $90 a month beginning in five years!

With Cherie suing every man, woman and child in Humboldt County for higher growth rates, I wonder how long that discount will continue?

Last night’s modestly attended workshop at Fortuna’s River Lodge offered exciting alternative development strategies implemented by other cities, and other defunct rail yards. Alternatives that greatly reduce public costs, housing costs, transportation costs, while turning brownfields into local-owned business and manufacturing magnets that attract tourists, residents and capital investment that provide living wage jobs.

No, we’ll stick with a failed model that manufactures more poverty as long as the public doesn’t find out.

Anonymous

October 20, 2009 at 11:29 pm

Eureka City Council is a throwback in time–for those who have only lived here for a few years, this is how corrupt all the elected bodies used to be around here.

The mayor cutting off a city council member’s questions for staff was beyond the pale. He has a right to ask questions–they mayor has no right to cut his questions short.

HD

October 21, 2009 at 3:48 am

Eurekas demographics are made up of alot of people who would probably do alot better for themselves working at a place like home depot. Even though these are not the great jobs that provide “living wages” this is our reality and its what we have to work with. Its not asif things are diffrent anywhere else, the way our economic model is setup many people literaly must shop at these so called “bix box stores” i myself go to costco because its a great savings. Personaly i hate the store and i dont like there company. but financial its what i must do to survive. America has changed. Our economy is only getting worse, it would be nice to have a more affordable option for cheap hardware supply might i also add a huge selection would be great too! I do enjoy piersons aswell but they are overpriced on almost every item they sell. i for one do not have the luxury to spend more just because i feel i need to support bill pierson. local or not at the end of the day i need to look out for myself and times are only getting tougher. we may have to just live with the changes and if we choose to still support piersons then so be it. i for one will probably still shop at both.

Sunshine

October 21, 2009 at 7:50 am

Eureka is a bubble.

Anonymous

October 21, 2009 at 8:01 am

It really has nothing to do with home depot. What it is about is that people are sick and tired of a handful of thugs,bullies and extortionist running our community down. Glass was wrong last night on many things. It wasn’t 3 to 2,it was 95% to 5%. Slobbering loud mouths like Evans threatening sue shows the truth of these bums. It’s all about the money. The cosa nostra could learn a few tricks here.

common sense rules

October 21, 2009 at 8:02 am

I am glad for this project, the clean up, the restoration of the marsh and the jobs.

Thank you to the project proponents. It will be a great improvement to the city.

Costco jobs are some of the highest paying jobs in the county with some of the best benefits. ACE Hardware stores aren’t “local” either, and sell a cheaper product than their competition- all the ACEs will fold within two years of a HD or a Lowes, they just can’t compete with selection and price. The local monopoly on hardware sees the end of the road and fights progress for they know the end result of the Marketplace.

On a side note- what is with putting stickers on homeless cars? Law Enforcement keeping tabs and databases? I’m no fan of urban campers, but something like this should be handled through a church- oh wait- I forgot they have signed government forms making them non-profits and are given lists of what they can and can’t not discuss. Check out Clergy Response Teams and see for yourself. Law Enforcement should be serving the Public, not keeping lists on who has and who has not. Maybe Eureka isn’t the place for something like this to go on? Maybe fenced yards, databases, orange stickers- are a tool of oppression and division?
I’m stoked that this Marina Project will soon begin and our town can move forward, begin to clean up the garbage along the long dead bay, and maybe we’ll see a food joint in Humboldt that serves clean food for a change- maybe a sushi joint that serves REAL fish not farm crap? Once the Marina Project is built we should look into a water taxi to SF- that would make it easy for non-car owners from the city to come up and spend money and demand more from our sub-standard community?
A connection to SF will raise our property values and bring in much needed culture to our dark, depressed area that clings to dead mills, bums, hookers in it’s shopping district, crappy hardware, and flies in served food. I hope we can get a real brewery here also, the lost coast hasn’t poured a decent pint since the early 90’s.

Sunshine

October 21, 2009 at 8:07 am

The 3-2 vote was expected. The gloating is only distasteful.

Anonymous

October 21, 2009 at 8:40 am

In reply to Anonymous 8:01 am. “What it is about is
that people are sick and tired of a handful of thugs,
bullies, and extorionist running our community down.”

Are you talking about the city and city council or
the good old boys that run this city?

Big news last night, a strip mall on one end of town
and another homeless shelter on the other end.

Anonymous

October 21, 2009 at 8:53 am

Talking about you 8:40 and the nasty win at all cost evil you perpetuate.

mrsb814

October 21, 2009 at 9:05 am

What is ‘distasteful’ is the pile of studies from all the way back to the 70’s on Humboldt Bay and that we ‘should’ develop light industry. Now that there is a real possibility of light industry on the deep water side of the bay we can concentrate on mixed use development (like Marina Center). This city council allowed Glenn Goldan to go away when he had a great project, I was disgusted then I’m proud of them now.

The foot dragging about not enough time to look at the EIR wasw disgusting, Larry is not known to be a big reader, not even executive summaries. I feel sorry for him a little-he’s wedged in with his supporters and they’re losing ground, shrinking in number and outweighed with real facts.

The Balloon Track… a unique jewel Ed?? Give that a rest because anyone whos ever looked out the window on the way by has noticed the piles of crap there. Marina Center is a high quality development, its time the toxins were removed from the Balloon Track regardless what your feelings for this development are.

Sunshine

October 21, 2009 at 9:16 am

Smoke and Mirrors – You are a shill.

mrsb814

October 21, 2009 at 9:33 am

Shill?? thats funny… Ive been at the meetings for years I took minutes for three subcommittees: 1) environmental issues 2) water related development 3) highest and best use

Ive seen the ‘facts’ get bent and promoted and I made friends with a water regulator who didnt trust giving me information until she learned I had some integrity. Usually people misquote the water regulator and blame them for going off on a tangeant (spelling?) anyway, been there done that and its been a vicious circle of watching the players and their agendas and any real developer with money to invest gets run off…

How many companies have expressed a wish to locate here and got the tar and feathers b.s.? Too many.

I’m an environmentalist… I want the Balloon Track cleaned up now.

The shills are those who say they have better ideas and want redevelopment money because they dont have any. The shills are those that cry ‘dioxins’ when there is no known remediation for something so evenly spread out over the landscape and its coming from China-Google it.

Sunshine

October 21, 2009 at 10:12 am

Calpine? That company was going bankrupt and did.

Anonymous

October 21, 2009 at 10:16 am

I agree – clean it up to whatever level needed for any potential use. Then the city should zone it and let the developer go for it. Unfortunately, that’s not what is happening. Instead, the developer is zoning the land with his proposal and mitigating the level of required clean-up through local politics and phony indemnification agreements. The pulp mill is closed but Eureka still stinks.

mrsb814

October 21, 2009 at 10:25 am

nope I wasnt a fan of Walmart nor Calpine there were plenty of others…

The road ahead?

October 21, 2009 at 10:39 am

Sunland-Tujunga, CA (February 2, 2009) – The grassroots group, the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance has pressured Home Depot into dropping plans for locating in its community after a messy, five-year fight.

Thanks to the counter efforts by this group, Home Depot has nothing to show for its $30 million campaign to rally, coerce, and imitate public support for a building center on a former Kmart site. The group exposed and publicized Home Depot’s attempts to feed, clothe, and bus in supporters to key hearings on the project. In turn, the group educated the masses on the potential detriment the new Home Depot would bring to the community, inspiring hundreds of residents to flood the meetings and hearings in opposition of the project.

Home Depot was in the midst of a $10 million lawsuit against the City of Los Angeles after Home Depot had been required to have an environmental impact carried out on the site. With the prospects on an environmental impact report substantiating the new store’s potential harm, Home Depot dropped the lawsuit and withdrew its application.

As many a “No Home Depot Coalition” have noted, Home Depot, like Wal-Mart, can have a drastic effect on small and family businesses and often forces them to close. Home Depot offers contracting services that will put the squeeze on flooring businesses, general contractors, plumbers, etc. Local suppliers of window blinds, sprinkler/irrigation, electrical, tile, carpeting, marble, glass, screen, windows, doors, etc. will all be hurt by a Home Depot in the area.

Time to get real

October 21, 2009 at 10:44 am

The real cosa nostra, well, we all know who that group is. The good ole bunch were sure out in force last night. I had to park three blocks away, to then stand with many others in the hall to watch a monitor. Having to work til six doesn’t give a working stiff much of a chance with that crowd. I’ll bet the cocktails were flowing after the show of force. Now we will see what a court of law does with this “can of worms”. Money till has the power to push the rest of us around, and that is truly sad.

To understand why the big box developer is using an underhanded political and public relations campaign, it might help to review Wal-Mart’s experience 10 years ago, also reported on Sprawl-Busters.com, Eureka, CA. Wal-Mart Loses Air from Balloon.

SoHumBorn

October 21, 2009 at 11:28 am

I wonder why the County Supervisors get to decide how the rural areas of our county are developed, but only the City of Eureka gets a say in this?
The people from the rural areas have no say in how something as impotant as our bay gets developed?
Just as the ag and timberlands are important to us all, so is the development of the marina & bay.
*sigh*

HumRed

October 21, 2009 at 12:56 pm

Ya. Good old boy’s. Mostly working people. Who appreciate what the project represents. Best part was the whiner’s, we will sue. “Court of law” is that you baykeepers or is it NEC. Faust was funny as shit. He is such a ringer it is unreal. I would bet folks are being stirred up for meeting Nov. 3rd, a nest of progy’s. SHB would love to see the rigged BOS take a shot at this, but sorry is not going to happen. An after the stuff they have been pulling I have hope the folks of Humboldt will replace them as soon as possible. Or maybe someone will file a FPPC complaint about their serial back-door meetings.

Mike Buettner

October 21, 2009 at 1:09 pm

There will be a Home Depot and I bet that is all we see for a long long while. The rest is fluff. Sadly since the clean-up will not allow residential on the ground floor there will never be any no matter who owns the property in the future.

Mike Buettner

October 21, 2009 at 1:10 pm

BTW – Mary should be upfront and admit she is married to a City staffer.

mrsb814

October 21, 2009 at 2:04 pm

If I have to admit that Mike maybe you can admit to signing petitions more than once… sure Im married to a city staffer and you spelled my name correctly thx!

HumRed, the ‘good ol’ boys’ quoted in the paper were Liana at Sequoia Personnel, wanting all those job placement contracts and Suzi from the Discovery Museum who has been promised space for her organization. It’s a cult, and it’s about money.

Mike Buettner

October 22, 2009 at 9:37 pm

WTF is this shit about anyway:

“Larry is not known to be a big reader”

Like Mike Jones sets a standard for literacy?

Roadkill

October 25, 2009 at 3:51 pm

Commissioner Brandenburg and Co. were conspicuously absent at the meeting. Probably too busy talking and texting on her cell phone.